Financial Center News #178

On Wednesday, the Nairobi International Financial Centre, our World Alliance member, hosted NIFC Horizon 2026 under the theme “Financing Kenya’s Next Economic Chapter.” My team and I look forward to our Board meeting in Nairobi this spring, where we’ll have the opportunity to engage directly with NIFC’s stakeholders and learn more about their priorities.

Also on Wednesday, I spoke at the Future Finance Summit in Warsaw about the city’s future as an international financial hub. The panel agreed that the Warsaw Financial Centre has become an impressive domestic financial centre, with a strong capital market, a leading European payment provider in BLIK, and a fast-growing FinTech ecosystem focused on compliance and RegTech. The next step is to build on these strengths, deepen its international connections, and develop a strong regional hub.

On Tuesday morning, at the Dubai FinTech Summit, our World Alliance panel explored the impact of financial centres and how technology is reshaping them. From AI in finance to tokenisation and quantum technology, the opportunities and challenges are plentiful. Many thanks to my fellow panellists, Alya Al Zarouni, An Kelles, and Armand Muganga, and to DIFC for hosting us.

📚 New insights from the World Alliance network.

Two members of the World Alliance of International Financial Centers (WAIFC) have published reports exploring two important dimensions of international finance: the evolving digital landscape for ultra-high-net-worth individuals and the competitive advantages of established international financial centers.

🇯🇪 Jersey Finance has published Decoding the Digital Landscape for UHNWIs, exploring how digital transformation is reshaping wealth management, client expectations, and the financial services industry.

Key themes include:

🔹 The growing importance of digital technologies in serving ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs) and their increasingly complex financial needs.

🔹 The role of digital innovation in transforming wealth management services and client engagement.

🔹 The importance of balancing technological efficiency with personalised advisory services and trusted relationships.

🔹 The opportunities created by artificial intelligence, data analytics, and emerging technologies for wealth management professionals.

🔹 The need for financial institutions to adapt their digital strategies to evolving client expectations while maintaining security, privacy, and trust.

📲 Read the publication: https://lnkd.in/ex8rpk6m

🇧🇸 Meanwhile, the Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB) has published The Bahamas: A Complete and Compelling Choice, presenting the jurisdiction's position as an international financial services center and highlighting its offering for global investors, families, and businesses.

Key themes include:

🌍 The Bahamas' established role as an international financial center serving global clients and cross-border financial activities.

🌍 The jurisdiction's financial services ecosystem, including private banking, wealth management, trusts, and investment structures.

🌍 The importance of regulatory frameworks, professional expertise, and institutional stability in supporting international financial services.

🌍 The role of financial services in attracting international investment and supporting economic diversification.

🌍 The Bahamas' positioning as a destination for international wealth management, family offices, and financial structuring.

🌍 The importance of adapting financial services offerings to changing international client needs and global economic developments.

📲 Read the publication: https://lnkd.in/edrGYbgm

On UAE Flag Day, we join the country in honouring the flag and what it represents to all who call the UAE home.

Happy UAE Flag Day 🇦🇪

ADNOC Group | Hub71 | Mubadala Energy | Dolphin Energy

The medals were presented by AIFC Governor Renat Bekturov at a ceremony held at the Centre.

AIFC Authority JSC:

▪️ Sairan Khamitov, PMP – Chief Digital Officer;

▪️ Assylzat Bolatuly – Director of the Administrative Department;

▪️ Ainura Zhumatova, PMP, CEDR – Director of the Expat Centre;

▪️ Ainur Issabayeva – Director of Corporate and Media Communications, Press Secretary;

▪️ Zhanar Akzhanova – Head of the Innovation Platform.

Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA) :

▪️ Sholpan Baimuldinova, SPHRi, CIPD – Director of the HR Division, Secretary of the Board of Directors;

▪️ Sanzhar Tokmurzin – Director of the Prudential Division.

The medal recognises outstanding professional achievements and contributions to Kazakhstan’s socio-economic development.

We congratulate our colleagues on this well-deserved recognition and wish them continued success and new achievements!

As October comes to an end, the Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB) team proudly wears pink in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 🎀

We join the global community in raising awareness of breast cancer and highlighting the importance of early detection, regular screenings, and continued education.

Together, we support a message of awareness that extends beyond October.

Capitalizing on this demographic dividend requires targeted investments in education, technology, and flexible work infrastructure.

Access the CFC Africa Insights Report to examine our full demographic analysis.

A report developed by Casablanca Finance City in partnership with Fitch Learning and BMI Country Risk & Industry Analysis

https://lnkd.in/eS__7QYK

We launched the Dubai-it Award to showcase Dubai’s philosophy of work in action across every field: extraordinary achievement, in record time, with excellence.

The Dubai-it Award for Institutions in the Field of Economy goes to Emirates NBD for exceptional regional growth, expansion and continued improvement in its services and products. The award for Project Managers goes to Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman of DMCC, for developing the diamond trade and building trade hubs across multiple sectors.

In Real Estate Projects, the award goes to Mahdi Amjad, founder of OMNIYAT Group, for turning world-renowned architects’ designs into landmarks that enrich Dubai’s skyline. In Services, it goes to Ounass, through which Khalid Al Tayer created a luxury shopping experience that began in Dubai and delivered exceptional results.

The Dubai-it Award for Entrepreneurs goes to Charlie Wright, founder of Humantra, for building the world’s fastest-growing electrolyte brand from Dubai. In Hospitality, it goes to Chef Izu Ani for developing 30 projects that combine quality execution with Dubai’s hospitality standards and expanding their global presence.

Dubai-it is our philosophy of work that applies across every sector, delivering results worthy of Dubai’s name and its projects. Congratulations to all the winners of the inaugural Dubai-it Award.

The voices of EnterpriseNGR: Jumoke Lambo

Behind every thriving industry are professionals whose work helps shape the frameworks that support growth, innovation and opportunity.

With over three decades of legal experience, Jumoke Lambo, Managing Partner of Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie (UUBO), has built a distinguished career spanning telecommunications, technology, data protection, employment law and corporate advisory.

Among her notable contributions is her involvement in drafting the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, a landmark piece of legislation that helped shape Nigeria's telecommunications sector. Her career has also seen her lead legal departments at Etisalat Nigeria and Union Bank of Nigeria during professional secondments.

From helping shape regulatory frameworks to leading one of Nigeria's foremost commercial law firms, her journey demonstrates how legal expertise and visionary leadership can strengthen institutions and create opportunities for businesses to thrive.

Geoeconomics of Capital Flows

Geopolitics is redrawing the map of global capital.

Christopher P. Buttigieg and Jens Hillebrand Pohl will discuss what this means for open, internationally connected financial centres, and how jurisdictions such as Malta can respond.

Join us at FMC19: https://lnkd.in/eMjYk8Py

𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁-𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: 𝗘𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀

#FSDC Board Member Mr Ronald Chan moderated a panel on the evolution of next-generation trading platforms at the Hong Kong Securities Association Limited’s 47th Anniversary Financial Innovation Forum.

The discussion covered major infrastructure developments, such as extended trading hours, shaping global financial markets. Panellists shared perspectives on how innovation and evolving trading platforms drive liquidity, deepen market access, and position Hong Kong to capture emerging opportunities as a leading #IFC.

Exchanges like these are vital for Hong Kong's growth as a global financial hub. FSDC is committed to fostering dialogue and supporting the development of a dynamic, innovative, and future-ready financial ecosystem.

#FinanceMatters | What shaped Frankfurt's financial centre this October?

🔹 Invest in Germany: Frankfurt Main Finance joined the first "Invest in Germany" Summit in Berlin, where around €230 billion in investment commitments sent a clear signal for Germany as an investment location.

🔹 Frankfurt Goes Bangkok: At the IIF Annual Membership Meeting in Bangkok, Frankfurt Main Finance and FinCity.Tokyo adopted the "Bangkok Declaration 2026," positioning Frankfurt as a bridge between Europe and Asia under the principle of "resilient interdependence."

🔹 Bangkok Declaration 2026: On the sidelines of the IIF Annual Meeting, Frankfurt Main Finance and FinCity.Tokyo adopted a joint agenda to turn the costs of economic resilience into productive investment and future growth — with Frankfurt as a bridge between Europe and Asia.

🔹 CFS Index: The latest index shows solid growth, including in crypto; a special survey found two-thirds of respondents consider Bitcoin & Co. fundamentally suitable for private investors, while only 35% see them as suitable for small savers.

📩 Stay informed about Frankfurt's financial ecosystem and subscribe to our newsletter Finance Matters: https://frankfurt-main-finance.com/medien/#Newsletter

Future Finance Summit is LIVE! 🎉 The main day of Warsaw Finance Week 2026 is in full swing at CIC Warsaw. Both stages are packed, and so is the room.

🎤 This morning we heard from guests such as Rafał Trzaskowski (Mayor of Warsaw), Prof. Kamil Liberadzki (European Banking Authority (EBA)), Kuba Fast (Revolut Bank EU), Pamela Krzypkowska (Komisja Rozwoju i Bezpieczeństwa Sztucznej Inteligencji), Pawel Osterreicher (Wonderful) and H.E Rauf Alp Denktaş (Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye in Warsaw).

That set the tone for the day: Poland has momentum, and now it needs to turn that into a long-term competitive advantage.

📅 Future Finance Summit | 4 November 2026

📍 CIC Warsaw, Chmielna 73

Part of Warsaw Finance Week | 3–5 November

Discuss. Connect. Act.

A global financial vision drawing strength from Istanbul’s rich history.

The Istanbul Financial Center supports Turkey’s position in the international financial arena and offers global opportunities to the business community.

Take your place in this ecosystem: https://ifm.gov.tr/basvur

Great to see TreasurySpring’s plans to record ownership of Jersey company shares on the Canton blockchain network, supported by legal advice from Carey Olsen.

As our Head of Funds, Elliot Refson, highlights below, the programme demonstrates how Jersey’s flexible legal framework and specialist expertise can help established fund structures to embrace new technology, while maintaining the legal certainty, privacy and safeguards that institutional investors expect.

KIFC hosted a delegation from the Republic of Guinea’s Support Programme for Economic Diplomacy, Strategic Intelligence and International Cooperation (PRODEIC) for discussions on Rwanda’s positioning as a financial services hub and opportunities to facilitate international investment.

The exchange provided an opportunity to share KIFC’s experience in developing Rwanda’s financial services ecosystem, attracting investors and supporting cross-border investment.

KIFC continues to strengthen collaboration with African partners to support financial sector development and advance investment across the continent.

Always great to catch up with our friends from FinCity.Tokyo (東京国際金融機構), who visited us in Luxembourg today. We discussed joint plans and cooperation in 2027, following the momentum we achieved this year, which included the signing of an MoU, a joint panel at SusHITech in Tokyo as well as a reception at the Luxembourg House in New York.

Luxembourg for Finance Ministry of Finance, Luxembourg Ikuko Obinata Tomohiko Shinohara TOMOKO O. Yuriko Matsuno Chris Hollifield Anne Moes Luc Decker Pierre OBERLE

Today, we hosted #NIFCHorizon2026, themed “Financing Kenya’s Next Economic Chapter,” bringing together Government, regulators, investors and private-sector leaders to explore how capital can accelerate Kenya’s economic transformation.

Over the past year, the NIFC Africa has made significant strides in institutional operationalisation and ecosystem development, with 22 certified firms and growing opportunities for capital mobilisation.

Our focus now is translating this progress into tangible economic impact. Key priorities include:

1.Mobilising USD 5 billion infrastructure capital by 2030.

2.Unlocking domestic institutional capital, including Kenya’s KSh 2.81 trillion pension industry.

3.Advancing proposed USD 500 million technology, AI and start-up funds, alongside opportunities such as Giraffe Bioenergy’s proposed USD 28 million bioethanol project.

4.Developing carbon-market infrastructure, facilitating virtual assets and asset tokenisation, and exploring innovative financing for sports infrastructure.

5.Strengthening preferential tax frameworks and exploring a specialised International Financial Services Court to enhance investor confidence.

Importantly, NIFC Africa Certified firms are expected to facilitate over USD 200 million in foreign direct investment with associated employment opportunities of 1,173 direct and 2,000 indirect jobs. This demonstrates the potential contribution of the NIFC ecosystem to capital mobilisation, enterprise development and employment creation.

The programme also featured an interactive Fishbowl Dialogue on “From Fund Domiciliation to Capital Formation: Building Kenya’s Fund Management Ecosystem and Agreeing Priority Reforms.” The discussion focused on regulatory, tax and legal reforms, market readiness and practical actions to attract and retain fund managers and investment vehicles in Kenya.

Our ambition remains clear: to position Nairobi as Africa’s Capital of Capital. A centre where capital is raised, structured, managed and deployed across Kenya and the continent.

The next chapter is about moving from institutional capacity to market impact, translating Kenya’s financial sector potential into tangible economic outcomes.

My sincere appreciation to THE NATIONAL TREASURY KENYA, Capital Markets Authority - Kenya, KRA(KENYA REVENUE AUTHORITY), MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates), Samawati Capital Partners, Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund, Momentus Global, Stafford Law Ghana and all the participants.

Dr Chris Kiptoo, CBS Hon. FCPA Kuria Kimani, CBS Dr. David Ndii H.E Matt Baugh Michael Kamiru Dharmini Shah Gladys Makumi Rosa Nduati-Mutero Mugo Kibati Frank Mwiti Ali bin Mohamed Clare Akamanzi Sam NDONGA, MBA Diana Smallridge Daniel Warutere Alex Oguso, Ph.D. Owino David Hilda Moraa Kairo Thuo Lilian Simiyu Eugene J Ntananga Wambui Kosgey Terryanne Chebet Tonia Mutiso-Kariuki Darshan Shah Symon Chelelgo, HSC Samuel Kiptorus

Meet QFC at Web Summit Lisbon 2026. 🇵🇹

From 9–12 November, our team will be at the Startup Qatar Pavilion by Invest Qatar, connecting with entrepreneurs, startups and business leaders looking to explore opportunities in Qatar including on-the-spot business registration.

Visit us to learn more about establishing your business in Qatar.

📍 Pavilion 3 | Booth E345

See you in Lisbon!

Hessa Nasser Al Thani Yousef Fakhroo Hussain Al Majid Nour Herzalah

Great to bring UK and Swiss industry together yesterday for our annual UK-Swiss industry roundtable, in partnership with the Swiss Banking and kindly hosted by UBS.

Chaired by Victoria Hagmann, the roundtable followed the UK-Switzerland Financial Dialogue and the first annual Joint Committee review of the Berne Financial Services Agreement, providing an important opportunity for industry to hear a readout from government and discuss the future of the relationship.

With the BFSA now in force and the UK-Switzerland Free Trade Agreement negotiations concluded, there was real appetite from industry to explore how we can build on these strong foundations and go even further.

We discussed how we can maximise the opportunities created by both agreements, alongside opportunities for further collaboration in areas including digital finance. A clear theme throughout was the strength of the UK-Swiss relationship and the ambition from industry on both sides to continue expanding it.

The UK and Switzerland are two like-minded countries, with a relationship built on trust, and both are global leaders in financial and professional services. There is a real opportunity to harness these world leading partnership agreements and support even greater trade, investment and growth between our markets.

It was great to hear from Bea Martin, Joe Cassidy, Vanessa Dubra, Rohan Lee, Christoph König, Rob W., Stephan Schmid and Miles Celic OBE, alongside the many businesses and organisations who contributed to the discussion.

A huge thank you to the Swiss Bankers Association for their partnership, and to UBS for hosting us.

What does it take to successfully navigate Kenya’s institutional landscape? And what can businesses learn from the experiences of others?

As part of French Week Nairobi 2026, Brenda Mbathi, CEO of TRIFIC Special Economic Zone, joined industry leaders for a practical workshop titled “Navigating Kenyan Institutions – Case Studies: What Actually Works? What Doesn't?”

The session drew on real-world experiences to explore the challenges businesses encounter when engaging with Kenyan institutions and the practical approaches that can make a difference.

The discussion featured:

Rossella Lospennato, General Manager, Alpha Logistics Services (EPZ) Ltd , Alpha Group

Anne Kahindi Gitau, Company Secretary and Head of Legal, Bank Of Africa

Eng. Phyllis Boronjo,PE,MIEK, Operations Project Manager, better with water.

Moderated by Marie Englesson, Associate Partner at Keen & Able, the workshop offered an opportunity for candid discussion on institutional engagement, navigating operational challenges and strengthening the business environment.

Creating an enabling environment for investment requires constructive dialogue and collaboration between the private sector and public institutions.

Thank you to the organisers of French Week Nairobi 2026, Marie and all the contributors for an insightful discussion.

French Chamber of Commerce Kenya